Hope
by Nikita6jt
Summary: Set during the Age of Apocalypse, Rogue and Magneto share a special announcement


I'd Really Like…A Family  
  
Disclaimer: The characters are not mine-don't sue.  
  
She stared down, through the shatterproof glass window high above the Danger Room walls, at the only real family she had ever known. The X-Men, brought together to fight a failing war between man and mutant-gathered into a living rebellion by her husband, Magneto. Gazing across the room, blazing with lasers, robots, and gunfire, Rogue watched as Magneto shouted commands to his team. They looked so swift, agile, fluid, she could almost forget that they were individuals-it always astonished her how much of a team they had become in the few years they had been together.  
  
"If only it could always be this simple…" she thought, wishing she could join them in their training. As Second-In-Command, they were her responsibility, and she wanted more than anything to be fighting by their side. It hurt to be so far removed from her friends, her family…But she knew she couldn't, not now, and she had no idea how to tell them why…  
  
"Rogue, end simulation!" she nodded at Magneto's command, concluding the training sequence. She watched as the weaponry and robotics disappeared from the Danger Room, until all that was left were cold steel walls surrounding a small group of colorfully costumed mutants. Magneto levitated himself down from his chosen spot above the battle, gathering each member of his team to the floor to distribute comments on their performances. He was proud of them, Rogue noted, as he praised the young boy codenamed Iceman with a hand on his shoulder and a rare smile. So rarely did she ever see that in him, so seldom did she ever see him looking pleased or optimistic, it only made her more depressed.  
  
"Rogue, is something wrong?" she jumped at Pietro's question, not realizing he was standing by her side.  
  
"No, Pietro, Ah'm fine, but Ah need to speak to your father."  
  
"I think he's going to repair the Danger Room generators, he wasn't satisfied with some of today's holograms. You can probably find him there for the next few hours at least."  
  
"Thanks Pietro." Rogue turned to leave, but stopped herself at the door. "By the way, you did good today. He was pleased-Ah could tell." She smiled at Quicksilver, remarking to herself how much he resembled his father, making her smile fade as she gazed at her husband's only son.  
  
"He did seem to be in an especially good mood today, didn't he?" Pietro laughed, but stopped when he saw Rogue's somber expression. "Rogue, I know something is bothering you-you're starting to act like my father, and that's a look only he can pull off."  
  
"Ah'm ok, Ah'll see you tonight at the briefing before your exercise." She turned to leave once again, only to be blocked by Quicksilver's superspeed.  
  
"You won't be joining us in the simulation? This is the third one you have missed in the last week. What's going on, Rogue?" He was staring at her now, obstructing her exit, expecting an answer.  
  
"Ah'm sorry, Pietro…" She cried out suddenly, flying over him and out of the room. Once down the hall, she stopped, holding back the tears that threatened to fall, checking to make sure Pietro hadn't followed her. He hadn't, but Rogue knew that she had to talk to Magneto, or else Pietro surely would. She walked ever so slowly to the basement control room, rehearsing what she would say in her head, praying silently to a long- forgotten God for strength.  
  
But, as she entered the brightly-lit control room, buzzing with the sound of metal scraping metal, her breath caught unexpectedly. She gazed at him while he worked, suddenly so unsure of everything she wanted to tell him. With his helmet off and the top half of his uniform removed, and with the bio-magnetic sphere illuminating his every muscle, he looked every bit the distinguished warrior she knew him to be.  
  
"Even Apocalypse doesn't make ma heart beat this fast." Rogue thought as she walked inside. She stared up at him levitating some 30 feet in the air, moving various circuits around with his hands while his mutant power melded the together.  
  
"Erik, Ah need to speak wit you." She called, and he turned to her and floated himself to the ground beside her, his body turning away from her to face the circuit panel on the wall.  
  
"I'm glad you're here. I've made some changes to next week's assault plan, you should review them before-"  
  
"Ah'm pregnant." She interrupted, and he spun around to face her, his eyes locking onto hers until she couldn't take it anymore, averting her gaze to the floor.  
  
"What did you say?" he whispered, his voice barely audible. He walked over to her, until she could feel the heat radiating from his body, and he lifted her chin with his finger. Staring into the eyes of her husband, she searched for any spark of emotion, for the anger and disappointment she expected, but they revealed nothing.  
  
"You heard me, Ah'm gonna have a baby…our baby." Her voice trembled, and she considered running from the room, but instead they stood facing one another for several minutes, until Rogue thought she would burst from the tension inside her.  
  
Then, without warning, Magneto grabbed her around the waist and, lifting her in the air, spun her around, a smile more radiant than any she had ever seen lighting up his face. Placing her back down, he covered himself in a bio-magnetic shield, and kissed her, gently, his hands cupping her face. She returned his kiss, then pulled away, shocked.  
  
"Ah don't understand, Ah thought you would be upset-" She began, only to be silenced by his finger on her lips.  
  
"Upset? Never. Love could never make me upset."  
  
She smiled back at him, overjoyed, and leapt into his embrace. But suddenly, she drew back and again stared into his eyes.  
  
"You know this'll change things, Erik," she said softly, "Especially wit the team."  
  
"I know." He replied, pushing her hair back behind her ear, rubbing the back of his hand against her cheek.  
  
"When do you want to tell them, and Quicksilver…? What should we tell him?" she asked, her voice fading.  
  
"After tonight's training sequence, we will tell the team, and Pietro." Rogue nodded, and closed her eyes as Magneto kissed her forehead.  
  
"Ah should let you finish your work now." She kissed his hand and headed toward the exit.  
  
"Beloved…thank you." He called to her, and she smiled back at him before leaving.  
  
Back in her bedchamber, Rogue examined the plans Magneto had laid out on the computer regarding the training exercise for that evening. Finely detailed and extensively thought out, she knew it would take several hours to review the outline. Seating herself in front of the screen, she rubbed her temples, suddenly feeling exhausted. She had been careful to avoid any physical stresses that could endanger the child, but the mental and emotional pressures were, as always, difficult for her to endure.  
  
"You should be resting."  
  
Rogue turned at the sound of her husband's voice, but remained seated at the computer terminal.  
  
"Ah could say the same about you, but Ah know betta." She retorted, grinning.  
  
Magneto walked over to her and, standing behind her, mentally cut off the power supply to the computer, turning the screen blank.  
  
"Erik! Ah'm not done reviewing that sim! What do you think-" She was interrupted by his arm embracing her waist and a kiss on her cheek.  
  
"You know that sim just as well as I do. Tonight will be fine, and if this morning's exercise was any indication, the team is progressing well. You need to rest." Using his magnetic powers, he rotated her chair around to face him and, with the bio-magnetic field still covering his body, he pulled her to him.  
  
"Erik, we have work to do…" She began, only to be cut off once again by his lips upon hers. Se kissed him back with passion, pulling him closer to her. He broke the kiss gently, resting his forehead against hers.  
  
"Let me help you relax…" he whispered into her ear, and before Rogue could protest, he levitated them both onto the cloth mattress they used as a bed. Never breaking eye contact or dissipating his bio-magnetic force field, he removed her clothes, slowly, methodically, seductively. He kissed her everywhere, his hands seemed to be everywhere, she couldn't even force herself to move, and within a matter of seconds she was unsure of her very surroundings.  
  
Rogue woke to muted sunshine peaking through the translucent glass of the bedroom window, unsure why Magneto would allow her to sleep so late. Then the memories swept back over her, of the past few hours, of the fact that it was not morning but actually late-afternoon, and of the fact that it was her husband's breath, which she so rarely felt, warm on her back. Her body was covered with a blanket and Magneto's arm was draped over her stomach above the blanket. Without even looking at him, she knew he was awake.  
  
"How long did Ah sleep?" She asked as Magneto pulled her closer to him.  
  
"Not long." He replied softly.  
  
"Ah hope you haven't been staring at me this whole time, Erik." She smiled, already knowing the answer.  
  
"I couldn't help it." He said, brushing back the hair behind her neck and kissing her cheek. "We should go. Pietro will be expecting us shortly." He whispered into her ear, withdrawing his arm from its position over her shoulder. He moved to get up from the bed, using his power of magnetism to levitate his uniform up from the floor.  
  
"Wait!" Rogue grabbed his hand before it left her flesh, pulling him back to her, her enhanced strength causing him to nearly fall on top of her. Taking his hand, she guided it to her bare stomach, pressing it to her skin with her own hand.  
  
"Say hello to your child, Erik." She heard the clothing he had raised in the air drop to the ground as his eyes grew wide with wonder and child-like curiosity. His hand trembled involuntarily against her naked flesh, but she kept it over her abdomen, enjoying the expression of amazement on his face.  
  
"Ah'm about 12 weeks along."  
  
Magneto nodded in response to her words, but did not move, still mesmerized, until Rogue took his hand and kissed his open palm.  
  
"You should go now, Ah'll meet you in the Danger Room." She said, climbing out of bed and walking into the bathroom. He watched her naked form as the door closed behind her and thought briefly of joining her as he heard the pulsating of the shower. But he knew he had work to complete before the team's workout in a few hours and, as much as he wished it did, Rogue's announcement did not change that. The X-Men still needed to be trained, plans still needed to be made, and the world still need to be saved. But he could not help but think how much brighter this world would be with a child to look forward to, to hold, to love. And he found himself smiling as he dressed, reveling in this newfound hope.  
  
"What a world we live in, Charles, where one child can bring me more inspiration than an entire race of people." He thought silently, remembering the friend who died saving his life, passing on a legacy of hope to the one person capable of sustaining it.  
  
More to come-be patient!!! Hope you enjoy!!! 


End file.
